Precious: Childhood
by Inkcharm
Summary: Tala/Kai friendship, one-shot - This would be the first of many secrets they’d share in the years to come, and it would connect them no matter what happened. - The story behind the nickname "Kari" and how Kai and Tala became friends.


"Let me have a look at that bruise

**Title:** Precious: Childhood**  
Author:** Yumeko Dragonfly**  
Fandom:** Beyblade  
**Summary:** (Tala/Kai friendship, one-shot) This would be the first of many secrets they'd share in the years to come, and it would connect them no matter what happened. They had formed a bond back in that room, and it would prove strong enough to overcome all obstacles in the future, starting with the Abbey.  
**Pairings:** /  
**Warnings:** Mentions of violence, rape and suicide  
**Disclaimer:** The TV show "Beyblade" does not belong to me, nor do its characters or anything related to the show. I make no profit out of this story, it is written merely for fun and entertainment of other fans.**  
Note:** This is set in my very own fanverse already featuring the stories "Precious: Nighttime" and "Precious: Seduction". This is more or less a prequel to all stories set in the Precious-verse.

* * *

**Precious: Childhood**

"Let me have a look at that bruise."

Bryan did not wait for an answer but grabbed Tala's chin instead. Carefully, he tilted the younger boy's head and shook his own in though.

"You should know better than to mess with Aleksey", he scolded the younger boy. "He's about twice your size, kid, meaning he's got the upper hand outside the dish. Hell, even his Little could beat the crap out of you."

Tala just folded his arms loosely across his chest and glared at nothing in particular.

Of course, Bryan knew the reason for Tala's constant fights with Aleksey. The redhead simply wiped the floor with the older boy when beyblading was concerned and was too stubborn to avoid confrontations with him that did not involve the sport.

Carefully, Bryan wetted a paper towel in the sink and used it to clean some of the blood from Tala's face. The younger one didn't even flinch.

"I'll put him in the hospital wing again, Little. That should give you enough time to let those bruises fade until you decide to act stupid and butt heads with him again."

Bryan grinned and was glad to see that Tala returned the gesture. His little one had too much energy without a way to direct it. Sometimes Bryan thought if Tala was just a little older and stronger outside the dish he should have been a Big Brother himself.

Unbeknownst to Boris and his men the children in the Abbey had made up a social system that allowed them to form strong emotional bonds without openly admitting they needed one another. Younger kids, new kids, weak kids, were dubbed Little Brothers and each was taken under the careful protection of a Big Brother, someone who would protect them, guide them, support them and comfort them in times of need. This system also made sure that the Big Brothers had something to distract their thoughts from the violence and hopelessness of their own situations.

Over the time, this system had developed to form social networks. Bryan, for example, had been Spencer's Little for years until they both agreed that the lilac haired blader had grown strong and dangerous enough to handle himself and a Little. So although Bryan know looked out for Tala and Spencer had Ian under his wing, the bond between them remained and forged a Family out of the four of them. They would watch out for each other, support each other and report everything going on back to each other. There was never a time during which they did not know what was going on in the Abbey.

"So, did you at least get a good peek at Kai Hiwatari while Aleksey beat you into a bloody pulp?"

"Actually, yes. He's with Konstantin."

"I know." Bryan brushed the bangs from Tala's forehead. "Konstantin is one powerhungry kid, no surprise to see him acting the Big Brother for Voltaire's grandson. Bet he hopes to become a favourite, just like the kid."

"Favourite my ass!" Tala smirked. "So, you don't know yet, hm? Want me to enlighten you?"

Bryan gave Tala a more or less gentle smack on the back of his head and stood up. "See me patching you up one more time", he growled. "Stop acting smart, Tala, or I'll just choose not to beat the hell out of Aleksey for you."

"You wouldn't!"

At this Bryan had to smile, though he quickly hid it behind a cruel imitation of one. More often than not, both he and Spencer had hard times keeping up their reputations with Ian and Tala around. Those two would be corrupted over time just like everyone else. It was just what the Abbed did to children. But for now, they still retained some shreds of innocence, as the wide blue eyes staring up at him in confusion showed. Tala knew he could rely on Bryan to solve the Aleksey problem for a time and his young mind did not yet want to embrace the possibility that the older boy might actually choose not to do so. To Tala, Bryan was the ideal Big Brother. The lilac haired blader feared the day the redhead would grow out of their bond and realize that he was so much more powerful than people like Aleksey liked him to believe.

"Nah, I wouldn't. But not just because you depend on it, Tala, keep that in mind. I also wouldn't miss out on the opportunity to smash Aleksey's face in because I enjoy it a lot."

He could see the flicker of insecurity in Tala's eyes, quickly masked by cold indifference. Oddly enough, it both satisfied Bryan and made him sad to see that Tala was able to do this so easily now.

"So, want to rub your secret knowledge in a bit more?" he offered.

A hint of warmth swept into Tala's eyes and he willingly and knowingly took the bait. "Well, see, Boris is really pissed about the whole Kai Hiwatari thing. I bet he's dying to strap that boy wonder to some post and whip him good." Bryan pretended not to see Tala shuddering. "So, he can't openly hurt him, right?"

And then Bryan knew, just by looking at Tala and noticing all those small changes in his body language. He tensed a little, bit his lower lip for a second, didn't look Bryan in the eyes anymore. He had not heavy bangs to shield his face from view, but he turned his head all the same. "So he calls him in for private tutoring", Bryan concluded.

"Yeah. Everyone's so jealous, 'cause they think it's just another privilege Kai Hiwatari gets. And those of us who have ever shared that privilege…"

"… we don't say anything about it." Bryan nodded and felt sympathy with the kid. Boris's private tutoring was far from being what he'd call a privilege. "So, what's Konstantin doing about it?"

Tala made a face and stuck out his tongue. "He's being a jerk, basically. All he does is keeping the others from roughing up the boy wonder too much, and that's just about it. I was passing their room after one of those private lessons. Konstantin just stood guard outside."

Bryan nodded, understanding very well what made Konstantin act like that. Big Brothers were supposed to offer some comfort and protection, but by withdrawing the first you would twist a young child's mind all the quicker. Briefly, Bryan wondered if Konstantin was in Boris' pocket and did this just so that Kai Hiwatari would become the weapon they all wanted him to be.

Poor kid, but there was nothing he could do about it. Kai Hiwatari was not his responsibility, Tala was.

"Come here, cub, I'll teach you a lesson or two about where to kick Aleksey next time he wants to raise a hand against you. How does that sound?"

Tala grinned from ear to ear and was up from his seat in a matter of a heartbeat, Kai Hiwatari wiped from his mind. Bryan slipped into his strong and slightly mad mask, surpressing the longing for the times when he was child enough to act like that, too.

* * *

"Kai Hiwatari and Konstantin Beloi!"

Tala glanced at Bryan uneasily. The guard bellowed out the two names a third time, which meant trouble for all of them. If someone did not show up for practice, everyone got punished. Simple, yet effective in making the boys turn against each other in rage. Tala, however, couldn't help but think that perfect Kai Hiwatari would never miss practice. Or had he become cocky enough to think himself above all punishement in here?

"Ivanov!" the guard bellowed. "Fetch them."

So Tala ran down the hallways until he reached the room the two shared, his small hand banging on the door.

"Practice!" he shouted. There was no answer. Damn it all to hell, he would not stand a beating just because these idiots did not show up! Tala was desperate with anger and fear when he turned the handle and pushed the door inwards. It smacked against the wall with a resounding bang, but the redhead didn't care about that.

The first thing he saw in the room was a pair of feet dangling in the air. The body was still and limp, held up only by a rope made from sheets. Tala felt sick to the core. The body was already starting to smell, so it had to be hanging for quite a while. So, with Konstantin dangling from the ceiling all night, where was his Little Brother?

Tala pressed a hand against his mouth and nose to keep from gagging. What did Big Brothers teach their Littles again? He dropped to his knees and, sure enough, spotted a figure curled up underneath one of the beds.

When your Big's not there and you're scared, hide. It won't do if anyone but your Big sees you scared.

"Uhm… hey…"

There was no reaction. Tala briefly wondered if Hiwatari was dead, too, but he could see him shivering. Throwing another look at the dangling corpse, he crawled under the bed and reached out.

He barely managed to scoot back fast enough to avoid the fist flying his way.

"Watch it!" he yelled and then caught the next fist in its attempt to smash into his face. "Stop that. I said, STOP THAT!" Something tingled inside Tala's chest, something clawed at his mind. With a growl he threw himself into the tiny space beneath the bed again and locked his small arms around something that he could identify as a torso. The move had successfully locked Hiwatari's arms into place but did not stop him from bucking furiously. "You're going to get us both into trouble! Don't you remember what fighting back means?"

The body in his arms went limp, finally, and Tala sighed. A shiver ran down his spine. He had not meant to threaten Hiwatari with the prospect of Boris and his ideas of punishment. The wound was still too fresh for him, too, and for a moment he felt tears stinging his eyes. No. He would not cry. He was not a crybaby. He was strong.

Closing his eyes tightly, he pulled the other boy against him and buried his face in the soft blue hair at the back of the other's head.

"It's okay now", he murmured, but it sounded pathetic even to himself when there was a corpse dangling from the ceiling. Tala shuddered. He had seen his fair share of gruesome injuries during his time here, knew that people sometimes would disappear without a trace, and he had received cruel punishments himself.

Never had he seen someone who had committed suicide.

The mere idea went over his head. He could not grasp the concept. Suicide was cowardice. Konstantin was a coward. Had been. Tala did not know, but it was during those silent minutes underneath the bed that he stopped being a child, as his young mind tried wrapping itself around the concept of Konstantin's death and possible consequences.

But one thing he knew for sure: With not Big Brother around, Kai Hiwatari was free bait for all the other children in the Abbey. While normally he would have accepted that fact and not spared it another thought, it kept circling in his mind now that Konstantin's suicide was added to it. Had Hiwatari spent the whole night with the body? Probably. Yuck.

Which reminded him of the boy again, who was awfully silent considering the loss. Maybe he had died, too. The thought of holding a corpse was pretty sickening, so Tala checked.

"Are you dead, too?"

"Yes."

Well, at least the question had provoked an answer.

"Okay…" Now what? What was one supposed to do or say in a situation like this? "Well… are you alright?"

"No."

"Figures. Should I leave you here?"

"Yes."

"Okay. But I don't think I should. You're in shock, right?"

"I suppose so."

Tala nodded wisely. Now he knew where to go. "I can't leave you while you're in shock. So. What's your name?"

Hiwatari's voice sounded so calm. Like his Big Brother hadn't hanged himself. "You know my name, Ivanov."

"Doesn't matter. When someone is in shock you are supposed to ask stuff like that."

"Why?"

Tala thought hard about it. He had no idea why people had to ask questions like that when someone was in shock. He was glad Hiwatari couldn't see his face. That little arrogant bastard would probably mock him for not knowing. So he bluffed. "You're too young to know that."

"I'm six."

"And I'm seven. See?"

"Hn."

Well, that sounded more like the Kai Hiwatari Tala had witnessed so far. "So, what's your name?" Silence answered and Tala squeezed the boy. "Come on", he whispered.

"Kai Hiwatari."

Satisfied, Tala nodded. "I think we're supposed to repeat your name for a few times now. Kai Hiwatari. Kai Hiwatari. Kai Hiwatari. Kai Hiwatari. Kai Hiwatari. Could be shorter, you know? Now, I think we should get out of here."

"I can't."

Tala felt Kai moving again, trying to disentangle himself from the older and slightly taller boy. He would have none of that. Hiwatari would not go back into hiding. Not when that meant punishment for Tala and for Bryan and probably Spencer and Ian, too.

"Kai Hiwatari, there's no reason for you to stay here. See, the Bigs tell us to stay under the bed when they're not there, but now I'm here, so you're not alone."

Tala could feel the younger boy tensing.

"But I am."

Which reminded Tala of the body hanging from the ceiling. Right. That had been Kai's Big Brother. And Konstantin was dead now. Tala tried to imagine how he would feel if Bryan was dead, or worse, if Bryan had killed himself in their room.

Carefully, Tala pulled the boy close again.

"I'll stay here with you, Kai Hiwatari", he murmured.

* * *

Of course, they were found a while later. Boris had been alerted by the guards and dragged Bryan along forcefully. "Get you roommate out of there, or I'll…"

Boris froze in the doorway for a moment. His gaze settled on the body impassively, before he snorted. Bryan stumbled, as the man shoved him into the room. The violet haired blader barely avoided coming in contact with the body.

"Clean that out and then find and find the other two. Punish them."

The door slammed shut and Bryan folded his arms over his chest. Boris was such a fool, thinking that Bryan was loyal to him. With an indifference and routine that would have frightened most he stood on one of the beds and untied the rope from a hook in the ceiling. He was careful in lowering the stiff body to the bed, before he lay on the floor and glanced under the bed which was furthest from the door.

"Hey", Tala said, twisting his head around to look at Bryan.

"Hey", the falcon responded. "How is he?"

"In shock, I think."

Bryan nodded. The pup was doing better than he'd thought. He would make a finde Big Brother one day. Hopefully not too soon. "Have you made him repeat his name and other trivial information?"

"He was supposed to repeat it?" Tala blushed. At Bryan's questioning gaze he explained: "I made him tell me and then I kept repeating his name. Kai Hiwatari, Kai Hiwatari, Kai Hiwatari, over and over. I think I can't pronounce the name properly anymore, it makes my tongue feel stiff."

"That's alright. Now, I want both of you to come out."

"But he won't. He says he can't leave. And I told him I'd stay, too."

Bryan rolled his eyes. Children. Had he been this horrible a few years ago? He sure hoped not. Growling, he reached under the bed and pulled the two much smaller Russians out from their hiding space. He noticed that the Hiwatari-kid glanced toward the ceiling at once, so he took his chin between thumb and forefinger and forced those crimson red orbs onto him. He immediately wished he hadn't. That glare was kind of scary for a six-year-old.

"Boris is pissed", he announced and gave each of them a strict look. "He put me in charge of punishing the two of you." His eyes strayed from Tala to Hiwatari, who kept glancing to the ceiling, and back again. "Your punishment will be to clean this room. No dinner, just working in here until there no trace of dirt left. You will start after the body has been cleared out."

It gave Bryan the creeps that Kai Hiwatari didn't even flinch. How broken was this boy to spend the night in the same room as a corpse? How broken were all of them not to care about being in the presence of the body? Bryan glanced at Konstantin and surpressed a sigh. What a fucking coward, having left his eerie Little in the care of others.

Still, as Bryan looked at Hiwatari, he felt something stir within him. Similar to what he felt when he watched Tala closely.

The bluenette's face was still slightly pudgy, baby fat making his soft cheeks round. The eyes seemed too large for the head and the head itself too large for the body. Damn. They were just children, even though the Abbey stripped that away from them too quickly. They looked like children and sometimes they even acted like them. Like Hiwatari, that little bastard, who always looked down on others and thought himself superior and showed no sign of suffering from Boris' private tutoring, but who was clutching Tala's shirt with one tiny fist all the same.

He needed to close his heart. How could he bear caring for another child as he cared about Tala?

How could he not?

* * *

The body was gone and still both boys sat on Kai's bed and stared into space. Bryan had locked the door and kept the key, announcing he'd check on their progress in a few hours. Somehow both had taken that as permission to take their time.

Tala glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye. Up close, Hiwatari did not look all that special, really. Still, this was Voltaire's grandson and somehow that alone made him different from the rest of them.

No matter how much he focused, though, Tala could just not see the difference. Except for the hint of a bottomless pitch in those crimson eyes, maybe, but the redhead was too young to take much notice of that. What he did notice was that Hiwatari was a lot tinier than he looked. Sure, he was six years old and had always been dwarfed by the five years older Konstantin. Still, with his air or superiority and untouchable cold, Kai Hiwatari had seemed so much more than Tala could see now.

He looked like he didn't belong here. He looked lost. He looked… fragile.

"Do you miss Konstantin?"

The red orbs moved to the hook again as if his Big Brother was still hanging there.

"I want him back", Kai whispered. "There was a…" His mouth closed slowly as if he remembered that he was not alone. He wasn't supposed to talk about feelings. He wasn't supposed to feel at all. And still.

When the first tears spilled, Tala moved forward and wrapped his arms around Hiwatari, listening to the small voice.

"There was a sound… in the middle of the night… I woke up and I turned on the lights and… and he was hanging there… didn't move… just… made these strange noises… and then he… went still… I… I didn't know what to… I crawled under the bed… I want him back… I don't have anybody… I don't NEED anybody!"

Tala tightened his hold. "That's okay. None of us do. But everyone has a Big Brother or Little Brother anyway. That's just how things work around here. It's alright to want your Big Brother back. He was supposed to be there, always. Just for you." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't need Bryan. But… I'm still glad I have him…"

Later, they could not tell how long they just sat there, each lost in their own thoughts. So young, and yet so grown up because of the ways they had been raised. And when Kai's tears dried and Tala swore on his beyblade never to tell anyone – not even Bryan – about it, they realized they were not all that different on the inside.

Not that they'd ever admit it.

They didn't talk much for a while, but holding and being held were enough for them at the time. Kai's raw pain was also starting to ease, the trauma of losing his Big Brother pushed from his mind in an attempt to protect himself. He would never sleep again on that night for the following years, but otherwise he'd be fine. Just like Tala, though, he had lost another part of his innocence to the Abbey. There was not much of it left.

"What do I do now?"

Tala glanced at his companion and tried to find an answer. Was there one to give? What was there to do when one lost one's Big Brother in here? He really wished Bryan was here to solve it all. Big Brothers could always make everything better it seemed.

And that thought triggered an idea.

"I could be your Big Brother."

For a while Kai just stared at Tala and then, slowly, raised one eyebrow. "You can't. You're a Little. Isn't that against the rules or something? … Besides, I don't need a Big Brother." He made a determined face after he had remembered to say the last bit.

The redhead, however, was quite stubborn in his own way. He had made his mind up. All kids in the Abbey had a Big Brother or a Little Brother, so he'd be Kai's Big. Full stop. "Who says that? There's no rulebook. And if there was, well, who says we can't bend and break rules? Who's to punish us for changing our own rules?"

There was nothing to argue about, really. Kai protested, of course, but it was mostly pretence. After all, he could not admit that he was glad not be all alone in here, right?

* * *

Spencer stood next to Bryan and gazed down on the sleeping boys. The two older bladers looked at each other for a while, then Spencer nodded.

"Ian will be glad to have someone else to bug. Especially if that someone happens to be able to kick his ass from here to the next millennium."

Bryan nodded. "It feels strange to have him here, doesn't it? He's different." Carefully, he bent down and pulled the blanket up to the boys' chins. "But that's hardly his fault. He's good for Tala, though."

Spencer snorted. "Yeah, he's so proud to be a Big Brother now. I bet those two are going to scare the hell out of everyone else."

"Makes you feel all warm and tingly inside, huh?"

Spencer laughed and rested an elbow on Bryan's shoulder. "We're not that much older than them and you're acting like a parent. Don't let anyone know that, Bryan, or they'll gut you."

Bryan rolled his eyes. So, what if he did? Kai Hiwatari was his responsibility now, too, along with Tala. He was just glad he was still human enough to feel something for the two of them; brotherly love for two kids who might one day become as twisted as himself.

"I heard Aleksey's permanently paralyzed."

"He is? Lucky bastard." Bryan stared at Tala and Kai, snuggled up to teach other on Tala's bed, then turned around and left the tiny room with Spencer.

"Told you they wouldn't mind", Tala whispered into Kai's ear when he was sure the two Big's were gone. "You're part of our Family now."

Crimson eyes slowly opened and searched ice blue ones. "You really mean that?"

"Sure. And just think how great it's going to be. We'll kick everyone's ass in here. We'll be the best, Kari."

He had not meant to say that out loud yet. It was just some stupid nickname he originally had made up to tease Kai with after the other's name had knotted his tongue up so badly. This was not the best introduction to teasing. Damn.

"Kari?"

Tala fidgeted. "Yeah. You know. Kai Hiwatari. KA-i. Hiwata-RI. Kari. Shorter."

Kai blinked, obviously surprised. "I never had a nickname. Do you have one?"

"Well, Bryan calls me Tal sometimes… so you're fine with Kari?"

The following silence worried Tala. Maybe the nickname had pissed Kai off, following its original intention? But now he didn't want to tease Kai with a nickname anymore. Going without a nickname all your life was so wrong. To seven year old Tala, an affectionate nickname made all the difference in the world. But then Kai turned around.

"Only call me Kari when we're alone", he commanded and snuggled up to Tala, this time intending to sleep for real.

"Wait a second. Kari... are you still dead?"

"No."

Tala allowed a small smile to creep onto his face as he drifted off to sleep. This would be the first of many secrets they'd share in the years to come, and it would connect them no matter what happened. They had formed a bond back in that room, and it would prove strong enough to overcome all obstacles in the future, starting with the Abbey. It took less than a week to make sure everyone knew that going up against any of the two would mean dealing with both of them plus Bryan, Spencer and Ian. When life tore them apart again, they stayed connected even through anger, betrayal and jealousy, until their bond grew to be so much more.

But for now, it was a secret nickname between two young boys who were struggling to find their place in world intent on breaking them.

Kari.

Thank you for reading!

Please leave a review.

The next Precious-story will be set sometime between Grev and Precious: Seduction, so stay tuned.


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